Remington created The Savage, copyrighted in 1908, as a pendant to his only other bust, The Sergeant of four years earlier. Both, miniaturized in scale, represent personality types rather than specific individuals. The fierce, defiant physiognomy depicted in The Savage represents one of Remington's primary characterizations of Native Americans in his sculptures, including in The Cheyenne and The Scalp. Only one cast of The Savage, which Remington wrote of seeing in the window of Tiffany & Company in 1908, appears to have been produced during his lifetime; its location remains unknown. The Metropolitan's example, cast number 10, was authorized by Remington's widow, Eva, and recorded in the Roman Bronze Works ledger in May 1916.